by Lee Wood
Daniel is aware the time is getting on. Finally his turn comes. He follows the instructions, hands over the cash, already separated from the £2,300 he had left after paying Lagan his finder’s fee, and waits while the guy behind the counter counts it out and hands over a key. Daniel walks over to box 101 and opens it. There is a package inside covered in wrapping paper with the words ‘Happy Birthday’.
Daniel takes it to the car. There are a lot of people hanging around. He decides the safest thing is to drive back to Loxton Square and open the package.
Inside he finds a 9mm gun and six rounds of ammunition.
Daniel doesn’t know the first thing about guns but even looking at this thing scares the hell out of him.
Nearly five o’clock. He puts the box with the gun under his car seat and decides to call his boss and say he isn’t feeling too well and ask for the night off. In all the time of working for Metro Security, he’s never taken a single day sick so he hopes his boss will understand.
After promising he will make up the hours with an extra shift, Daniel starts the drive home and arrives back at 8.30pm. The hire vehicle doesn’t need to be back until tomorrow morning.
He had been worried as the battery on the camera has run out of charge and he didn’t know what was going on with the girls. He drives straight to the old telephone exchange and rushes up to the first floor.
He picks up the binoculars and scans the converted office where the girls are being held. They are sitting side by side on one of the camp beds watching TV.
He moves his attention across to the factory area. The two men are also watching TV. One is on the sofa, the other in the armchair.
Daniel sits on a chair he found in one of the offices and examines the gun. Then he loads the six rounds of ammunition into the chamber.
Daniel has never considered himself to be brave and even the sight of the weapon scares him but he knows he would be prepared to kill if anyone tried to harm one of the girls. He just hopes it won’t come to that.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Nine o’clock. It has been twelve hours since the phone call from the kidnappers. Nobody in the Mitten house has managed to grab more than a couple of hours’ sleep.
DI Eden Gold and his team are trying their best. But the truth is they have little to go on. They have no suspects and are no closer to finding the girls. And time is fast running out.
Unless they have a breakthrough one or both of the girls may be dead in thirty-six hours. But how do you find the kidnappers when there are no clues to who is behind it or where they are hiding the twins?
Daniel Zugravescu could tell them what has happened to the girls, where they are and who is holding them.
He is planning to rescue them. In the meantime, he will make sure nothing happens to them, because even though they don’t know it yet, one of them, he doesn’t know which one, is soon to become Mrs Daniel Zugravescu.
Daniel is thinking about the girls.
Don’t worry, my lovelies. Daniel won’t let anything happen to you. You can’t see me but I’m not far away. Thank goodness I came to the airport. Luckily I’ve been secretly watching and following you for months. I know you’ll be so grateful and you will fall in love with me when I rescue you. Then, whichever of you is the kindest, we will marry, start a family and be together, forever.”
He is the one who planted the tracking device on the minibus at the airport and now he is watching everything going on from a nearby building.
But the last thing he wants to do is involve the police. He wants to save the girls on his own and be the hero, so they will fall in love with him and one of them becomes his wife.
His idea is to wait until one of the men goes off to buy food from the takeaway and walk in with the gun, overpower the kidnapper to release the girls.
He will then lock the man in the office so they can make their getaway and Daniel will take the girls to a safe place and call the police.
But what Daniel doesn’t realise is, he is up against ruthless people and unless he is lucky, he will be discovered. And these are not the type of people you want to cross.
Chapter Thirty-Six
At 6am, Eden and Tracy leave the Mitten residence to head off to their respective homes for a couple of hours’ sleep and to freshen up. They leave PC Rachel Nason to keep an eye on the family. Eden has arranged a daily briefing for 10am, in the incident room to go through everything with the team.
Exactly on time, Eden stands in front of the whiteboard displaying photos of the two girls with their names written underneath in marker pen.
“Right, let’s make a start.”
The team of ten people, including Tracy Archer, working on the kidnapping, stop what they are doing to listen.
“First of all, thank you for working through the night. I’m sure the local takeaways and Deliveroo are grateful for the extra custom. Now, let’s get down to business. Two young women’s lives are at stake and we haven’t got much to go on so far.
“The kidnappers have given a forty-eight-hour deadline, so I’m afraid you will need to phone your families and explain why they won’t be seeing much of you over the next couple of days. There hasn’t been a ransom demand. They have told the parents to decide which of the twins to save and the other one will be returned in a coffin. So this is either a kidnapping based on revenge or a smart way to frighten the family so much that when the time comes, they are prepared to pay any amount of money the kidnappers demand.
“Our initial priorities are to concentrate on anyone who might have a grudge against the family. Last year they held a party to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary since the business was formed. There were 120 guests. We need to check all of them. The law of averages tells us a few will have a criminal record, so anyone who flags up with something more serious than a parking fine needs to go on the initial suspect list.”
Eden pauses to take a sip of water.
“Next, we have the people who currently work for the business. Twenty-six names. Then we need to check out anyone who might have worked there but has left in the past two years, especially if it was under strained circumstances. The family employ a cleaner who comes in three days a week, a gardener, and we also need to check out all the tradespeople who have been to the house in the past twelve months.
“Very discretely, I want two plain-clothed officers to visit all the neighbours and ask if they have seen anyone or anything they think is suspicious in any way. We need to go through their phone records and see if they have suffered any abusive texts or calls. Is any money missing from their bank accounts since they have been reported missing? What is their current financial status? Have any unusual amounts of money gone in or out of their bank accounts in the past six months? The same with their credit cards.
“We’ve also got the specialist tech team trawling through their phone records and social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to see if they can find anything relevant. Collecting information on the girl’s online friendships and seeing if anyone stands out. Since the girls’ TV appearance on the reality show, they haven’t been living in Trentbridge. According to the mother, they have an apartment in London. Let’s find out who the letting agents are and get a key to the apartment. Get on to the Met Police and see if someone can make it happen. Explain the situation to them and make sure you emphasise we’re running short on time here.”
“The tech team will be trying to discover who has visited their profiles in the past thirty days and checking who has accessed their Instagram stories as the website does not allow you to discover people who only view your profile.
“Following the Cambridge Analytics scandal and the resulting privacy concerns, Facebook decided to allow users to check who has viewed their profile within the past thirty days. According to what I’ve been told by the tech team, this is a little-known feature that Facebook has buried deep in the privacy settings and is only available using the iOS app. The police internet team is aware all of the
apps who purport to have this information are scams and produce random names. It will take the team several hours to go through all of the information.
“Okay, the final areas to cover. We need to discover the whereabouts of the vehicles. They have been entered into ANPR to try to locate them but so far no results. We know both the vehicles had fake number plates. So unless the vehicles are stored somewhere they must have swapped the number plates at some point.
“I understand we’ve already gone through all the CCTV footage from the airport. We need the identity of the chauffeur, the only person captured on camera. Everyone has secrets. Mrs Mitten has given the impression everything is rosy in their marriage. Maybe it is, but I can’t help wondering if she’s holding something back. The problem is we don’t know the true motive of the kidnappers. Do they have a grudge against the family or want revenge for some reason? Or is their tactic all about scaring the family into paying a large sum of money?”
Eden tilted his head, stretching his neck from side to side. “Okay. Thank you all for your time. Let’s go to work and find the girls and bring them home safely.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Kronid is the first to wake up. He puts on the kettle and makes himself a cup of coffee. Dragos is lying on the sofa snoring. Kronid decides it will be more peaceful to leave him. The less time he spends in his company the better.
Today is going to be a long and boring day. The thought of the £100,000 he’s expecting to receive makes it a little better.
Dragos looks at his fake Rolex watch. 5.56pm. He and Kronid have spent most of the day watching mindless daytime TV.
“If only we had access to some adult channels. We’ve been here for hours. I’m bored. How about we have some fun with the girlies? Find out what they will do for us?”
“If you mean what I think, forget it. The boss warned us not to touch them.”
“But he’s not here, is he? He’ll never know.”
“Look, I’m in this for the one hundred grand he’s promised me. I need that money. Don’t spoil it by getting frisky.”
“Aw, c’mon. The way they dress, they look like they dish it out all the time. I bet they’d be grateful for something to pass the time.”
“You’ll be able to buy a dozen women with your share and still have plenty left. What if he comes back? And besides, it’s not right.”
“You’re a complete wimp. Alright, I’ll leave them alone… for now. I’m starving. I’m going to get some food. I saw a chicken takeaway place a couple of streets away. You want some?”
“Yes. And a bottle of Diet Coke.”
“Diet Coke. Do me a favour. Trying to lose weight, are you?”
“No, I prefer it.”
“You’re mental, you are. Alright I’ll be back soon. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”
Two hours later, Dragos returns looking tipsy and holding a six-pack of beer, but no food.
“Where have you been? Where’s the food?”
“Sorry. Met someone. Went for a quick drink. I’ll go back for the food later. Open the door. I want to offer the girls a drink.”
“Are you an idiot? You’re going to spoil everything. You can’t come back in that state. We’re supposed to be looking after them.”
“I’ll look after them alright. I’ll show them a real good time. When I’ve finished they won’t want to leave.”
“Stop it. Stop it. You’re not going in there. You’re drunk.”
“Only had a pint. I’m not drunk. Not yet. Now I need a good woman and next door there are two. One each or if you don’t fancy them I can have a threesome.”
Kronid is getting angry. It isn’t a side of Kronid that his partner Dragos has witnessed before. He raises his voice.
“I told you. He said not to touch them or even talk to them. So back off. We only have to guard them for a couple of days. Now go and sleep it off somewhere.”
“Think you’re a hard man?”
“You really think two women are worth losing a hundred grand? That money is going to set me up with what I’ve got planned. I’m not losing it because of some tosser like you. Now piss off and come back when you are sensible. Just so we are clear. If you try anything I’ll break both your arms.”
Dragos raises his hand and points his finger.
“I’ll be back. Maybe I’ll bring my mate and ’ave you. Then we’ll see who’s in charge.”
“You mean you told someone about this?”
“Only my mate. He’s alright. He won’t say anything.”
“You’re unbelievable. You’ve told someone what we’re doing. What sort of a moron are you?”
“Fuck you and fuck his lordship.”
“Oh go off and have a sleep. Come back when you’re sober.”
Dragos staggers out of the building.
The girls must have overheard the heated exchange. Kronid wants to reassure them. He takes the key out of his pocket and opens the door.
The two girls are cowering in the far corner on their beds.
“Don’t be frightened. Nothing is going to happen to you. We’re waiting for your parents to pay the ransom and then you’ll be going home. It should all be over soon. I’ll make sure he keeps away from you. I promise. I have the only key.”
With that, he closes the door and locks it.
Kronid sits down on the sofa. He rests his head back and thinks about the new life he will have soon.
A couple of days and he will have one hundred thousand pounds. He has big plans for a better life.
Until then he needs to keep an eye on Dragos and make sure he doesn’t ruin everything.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The taxi drives up to the front door and Gordon Mitten emerges holding a Nike Brasilia duffel bag.
Following the plea from his mother, he has come home. When she phoned him earlier he had only understood the basic details of what has been happening. Something about his sisters having been abducted and his parents waiting for the kidnappers to call with the ransom demand. It sounded like she was on the edge of despair. He had never heard her like that before.
Naturally he watched them on the reality TV show and how they had won the votes of millions of people to become the winners. His main thought had been about the £50,000 they had won. He could sure do something with that amount of money.
His father has always been tight. His grandfather built the business from nothing and it has a multi-million turnover. They live in a nice house and want for nothing but his father has always kept financial matters close to his chest.
What angers Gordon the most is, if this is a genuine kidnapping situation, the ransom demand will be for a lot of money.
And every penny will come out of his future inheritance.
What a waste. If he had a large amount of cash right now he could do a lot with it, exactly like his friend Smokey had done with the money he got from his late aunt.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
DI Eden Gold moved from London to Trentbridge over three years ago. Working for the Metropolitan police is not all it is cracked up to be. It has become too political and a lot of the best police officers are either leaving or, like him, requesting a transfer out of the capital.
The politicians and London Mayor are always making promises to the public but not giving the police the resources they need to do the job. Half the time they find their hands tied behind their backs with red tape and paperwork that is only there to cover the arses of the people at the top.
Eden fancied a place where he could concentrate on old-fashioned police work. His mother had lived in Trentbridge until she was sixteen when she was ‘discovered’ by a talent scout for a major modelling agency and moved to London.
She often spoke warmly of the place and the friendliness of the people. With a population of 260,000 and two miles from the M6 motorway and a lower crime rate, it seemed like a good move.
He also wanted to escape from the shadow of his father. Taz Gold had been a massive pop star in
the late seventies and throughout the eighties. Leader of rock band ‘Tazmania’.
A string of top ten hit records and four massive worldwide-selling albums, including two that hit number one: ‘Tazmania’ and ‘Break the Silence’ meant he was still recognised wherever he went.
He looked two decades younger than his fifty-six years, although his bio said he was fifty-one. He still looked every inch like a rock star, albeit an ageing one. He still sported his trademark jet-black hair, with a little help from a bottle and a £300-a-time cut by a Chelsea-based celebrity hairdresser.
Eden wanted to be successful on his own terms. He had inherited his father’s handsome features but didn’t seem to have his flair and confidence. While his father stood tall, Eden seemed to droop and fumble, although his mind is as sharp as a razor.
The slower pace he had expected from the move out of London hadn’t happened. He should have realised, like every police force in the country, they were understaffed and underresourced. It was no use complaining, you learn to accept it.
Since his arrival, Trentbridge has seen a massive increase in crime fuelled mainly by a drug known as Monkey Dust. The substance affects the people who take it in different ways. Some become paranoid, others enter a zombie-like state and for some it gives them superhuman strength.
One man had walked into the path of a twenty-ton lorry, convinced it couldn’t hurt him. Another jumped off the roof of a house and landed on a car and walked away. And the drug sells for less than £5 a hit.
Recently it seems the traveller family behind the supply had been killed in bizarre circumstances. The supply of the drug, for now, has dried up. Everyone is aware that won’t be the case for long.